President Cyril Ramaphosa has called on Southern African countries to move beyond political solidarity and build a stronger regional economy that can create jobs, drive industrialisation and improve people’s lives.
Ramaphosa was speaking at the University of KwaZulu-Natal’s Westville campus on Friday, ahead of the 46th Southern African Development Community (SADC) Summit in Durban.
Delivering a public lecture on translating SADC Vision 2050 into action, Ramaphosa said the region could no longer rely heavily on markets outside Africa while failing to use its own combined economic potential.
He said SADC countries had the energy, minerals, agricultural resources, skills and markets needed to build a prosperous and industrialised region, but needed to work together to unlock that potential.
“None of our countries can achieve enduring prosperity unless prosperity is shared across the region,” Ramaphosa said.
He criticised the continued export of raw materials and import of finished products, saying the region needed to process its own critical minerals and develop local manufacturing.
“We export the ore and we import the battery,” he said.
Ramaphosa called for greater investment in refining, manufacturing, energy, transport infrastructure and regional value chains, as well as the removal of barriers that make cross-border trade difficult.
He said SADC must also strengthen financing for infrastructure and industrial development through the SADC Regional Development Fund.
Youth unemployment was another major concern, with Ramaphosa warning that more than half of SADC’s population is under 30.
“Youth unemployment is one of the gravest threats to the stability, cohesion and progress of every country in our Community,” he said.
He called for greater economic opportunities for young people and women, including improved access to finance and markets for small and medium-sized businesses.
Ramaphosa also addressed the treatment of foreign nationals in South Africa, saying the country should be “deeply concerned and ashamed” about recent discrimination and ill-treatment.
“We cannot preach integration at summits and practise exclusion in our streets,” he said.
He said migration had shaped Southern Africa for generations and called for governments to address poverty, conflict and instability that force people to leave their homes.
The President also highlighted the conflict in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, climate change and the need for stronger regional disaster preparedness.
Reflecting on the devastating 2022 KwaZulu-Natal floods, Ramaphosa said resilience needed to be built into regional planning and disaster response.
Looking towards 2050, he said SADC’s success must be measured by tangible improvements in people’s lives.
He told students that the future of Southern Africa would ultimately be in their hands.
“Vision 2050 is not our document. It is yours, and you are entitled to demand an account of what we did with it,” Ramaphosa said.
“The renewal of our continent is achievable. The realisation of our vision for Southern Africa is within our means.”
